Electrocardiograph monitoring device and connector

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to electrocardiography and to electrode arrangements used in electrocardiographic monitoring devices. An EKG patch may include a plurality of individual EKG patches, each comprising a base layer and a plurality of electrodes capable of receiving an electrical signal generated by the myocardium of a human heart. Each of the plurality of the individual EKG patches may be stacked on top of each other such that each electrode in an individual patch aligns and contacts with at least one corresponding electrode in an adjacent EKG patch, thereby allowing a free flow of electricity through the plurality of stacked EKG patches, and such that the bottom-most EKG patch may be contacted with the skin of a patient. A temporary or release adhesive may be placed between each of the plurality of EKG patches such that the bottom-most EKG patch may be peeled away from the stack after each use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/149,733, filed May 7, 2008, entitled “ElectrocardiographMonitoring Device and Connector,” which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/916,523 filed May 7, 2007. The entirecontents of both of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This application relates to electrocardiograph devices, and moreparticularly to electrocardiograph patches, connectors and devices thatinclude the patches and connectors.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Human cardiac muscle tissue operates through similar electric andelectrochemical properties as human neurons and skeletal muscle, in thatthe human heart generates an electrical impulse that is propagated tothe cardiac muscle, which becomes stimulated. Once the cardiac muscle isstimulated, it contracts. It is the ordered stimulation of the cardiacmuscle, or myocardium, that causes the heart to contract, which thenpumps blood throughout the human body. The electrical impulse, orelectrical potential, that is generated by the heart appears throughoutthe body and on the surface of the body, and is thus capable of beingread by electrodes placed on the surface of the human body. This hastraditionally been done by placing a number of electrical leads, orelectrodes, on the surface of a patient, which are capable of receivingthe electrical potential generated by the heart and transmitting thatinformation to one or more devices for recording. In order to properlyassess and diagnose cardiac function, or injury, it is necessary toevaluate several electrodes at once. It is known to place electrodes oneach of the four limbs of a patient in order to properly read and recordthe electrical potential. Three of these electrodes are placed on thepatient's right and left arms, and left leg, with the fourth optionallyplaced on the right leg as a ground lead. It is also possible to shortenthe distance between these leads while still maintaining the properamplitude of signal to obtain a proper reading. In this instance, amodified three-lead system is employed in which electrodes are placed onthe right shoulder, left shoulder, and mid-sternum areas. Three leadsare sufficient in some instances to properly assess cardiac rhythm. Insome cases, four leads may be suitable. In other cases, five or sixleads may be suitable.

As can be appreciated, the placement of separate electrodes and theconnection of the respective leads from those electrodes to a recordingdevice can be inconvenient and time-consuming to hospital personnel.Placing the leads on the limbs of a patient as described above is a timeconsuming process and can cause a delay in treatment in an emergencysituation. In an office setting, where the patient is fully clothed,placing electrodes in this manner may require the patient to remove hisor her clothing, which makes the procedure more difficult for bothpatient and medical personnel.

Numerous devices have been created to read the electrical potentialgenerated by the heart. Many of these devices are electrocardiographicmonitoring devices which employ electrodes placed along the precordiumand the limbs of a patient, while others are comprised of just leadsplaced on the precordium. Some devices include a large triangular patch,with electrodes embedded therein, designed to cover the bulk of thepatent's chest. The large area covered by this patch allows forincreased signal amplitude to allow for more accuracy in assessing theEKG complexes. Others employ smaller patches made of rigid materialshousing an array of electrodes, and still others have been created forvery specialized, limited fields and purposes, such as magneticresonance imaging, thus limiting their use to a single application ormethod. All of these devices require the chest of the patient to beexposed in order to ensure proper placement and may thus be improvedupon.

Additionally, permanent implantable pacemakers and implantablecardioverter defibrillators are now common. In order for medicalpersonnel to assess whether these devices are functioning properly, itis necessary to monitoring the patient's heart rhythm. While it ispossible to use the three limb lead configuration to accomplish thistask, typically the EKG monitors employed utilize a four lead cable,thus requiring the ground lead. Attaching each electrode and wire on thepatient is a cumbersome process, and time consuming especially if thatpatient is fully clothed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a multi-lead EKG patch, inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of another multi-lead EKG patch, inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of another multi-lead EKG patch,in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2B shows a top, side and perspective view of the EKG patch of FIG.2A in an assembled configuration;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a multi-lead EKG patch, in accordancewith at least some embodiments of the present invention, affixed to thechest of a patient with a single lead wire connected;

FIG. 3A is a close-up perspective view of the multi-lead EKG patch ofFIG. 3, showing four individual lead wires connected;

FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of a multi-lead EKG patch, inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention,showing a single multi-wire cable connection attached to each of fourindividual electrodes;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram side view of a plurality of multi-lead EKGpatches shown stacked on top of each other, in accordance with at leastsome embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram top view of an EKG patch connector, inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram side view of the EKG patch connector shown inFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram side view of an EKG patch and an EKG patchconnector, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view an EKG patch connector, in accordancewith at least some embodiments of the present invention, showing asingle multi-wire cable connection attached to each of four individualelectrodes;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view another EKG patch connector, inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention,showing a single multi-wire cable connection attached to each of fourindividual electrodes;

FIG. 11 shows traces taken from a conventional EKG system that hasseveral separate leads attached at widely spaced positions on thepatient's body; and

FIG. 12 show traces from an EKG system according to an embodiment of thecurrent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improvedelectrocardiograph patches, connectors and/or devices that include thepatches and connectors. In that regard, some embodiments of the presentinvention relate to electrocardiography (EKG) and to electrodearrangements used in electrocardiographic monitoring and recording. Insome embodiments, the present invention is particularly related to a pador patch containing a plurality of electrodes for placement upon apatient's chest that is sufficiently pliable so as to conform to thecontours of the patient's chest. In these embodiments, the pad or patchis small, and the distance of the electrodes is substantially shortenedfrom the standard EKG limb leads, allowing ease of use while still beingable to obtain a suitable signal. In that regard, the pad or patch canbe centrally placed at the top of the chest just below the suprasternalnotch, thereby eliminating the need for disrobing. In other embodimentsof the present invention, a connector is provided which allows for fastand simple connection between the pad or patch containing saidelectrodes and the devices and equipment typically used to monitor andview electrocardiographic information. Embodiments of the presentinvention may be used to passively and non-invasively monitor or recordthe heart's electrical activity from the surface of a patient's chest,and where desired, the records derived from use of embodiments of thepresent invention may be correlated with standard EKG limb leads (e.g.leads I, II and III).

While not portending to be limited in any manner, the following U.S.patents are incorporated herein by reference with respect to theirdisclosure: U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,445 to Frasier; U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,333to DeSalvo et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,086 to Page et al.; U.S. Pat. No.4,233,987 to Feingold; U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,153 to Healy; U.S. Pat. No.4,516,581 to Sessions; U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,549 to Manoli; U.S. Pat. No.5,782,238 to Beitler; U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,119 to Roberts; and U.S. Pat.No. 6,408,200 to Takashina.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show EKG monitoring patches in accordance with a couple ofembodiments of the present invention. In the depicted embodiments, thedevice is configured so that the sides that are not visible in FIGS. 1and 2 are placed in direct contact with the skin of a patient andattached thereto via any number of standard means including, withoutlimitation, straps or similar physical restraints, biocompatibleadhesives, electrode gel, or similar means. In some embodiments of thecurrent invention, the EKG patch comprises: (a) a base layer that has abase surface that makes contact with the skin of the patient andattaches to the patient substantially as described herein; and (b) aplurality of electrodes for monitoring the electrical potentialgenerated by the heart of the wearer of the depicted device. The EKGpatch can include a second layer, or even multiple layers, that that maycover or be attached to the plurality of electrodes in some embodiments.The plurality of electrodes can be three, four, five or six electrodes,for example, in some embodiments of the current invention. However,broad concepts of the current invention are not limited to only thesespecific numbers of electrodes. FIG. 1 shows an example of an EKG patchthat has four electrodes according to an embodiment of the currentinvention. FIG. 2 shows an example of an EKG patch that has fiveelectrodes according to an embodiment of the current invention. In someembodiments of the current invention, the EKG patch further comprises aremovable film layer in contact with the skin-contacting surface of thebase layer that protects the skin-contacting surface and prevents itsexposure to contaminants or items that may damage the surface and impedecontact with the patient.

FIG. 2A illustrates an EKG patch 100 in an exploded view according to anembodiment of the current invention. The EKG patch comprises a baselayer 102 and a plurality of electrodes 104, 106, 108 and 110. Theplurality of electrodes 104, 106, 108 and 110 can be held in a fixedconfiguration with respect to the base layer 102, for example bycorresponding snaps 112, 114, 116 and 118. Although this embodiment hasfour electrodes 104, 106, 108 and 110, the invention is not limited toembodiments with four electrodes. Furthermore, the snaps are suitable tohold the electrodes in a fixed configuration with respect to the baselayer in some embodiments, but the invention is not limited to only thisembodiment. The EKG patch may further include layers of hydrogel 120,122, 124 and 126 over corresponding electrodes and adjacent regions ofthe EKG patch 100 in some embodiments of the current invention. The baselayer 102 may also include a layer of adhesive material in someembodiments of the current invention. Alternatively, the hydrogel canalso provide an adhesion layer in some embodiments. The shape of the EKGpatch can be selected to facilitate proper placement, attachment andremoval in some embodiments. For example, the shape depicted for theembodiment of the EKG patch 100 may allow the user to easily remove theEKG patch 100 by lifting one or more of the flaps proximate theelectrodes. The snaps 112, 114, 116 and 118 can provide suitableelectrical connectors to connect the corresponding electrodes 104, 106,108 and 110 to an EKG monitoring system. In some embodiments of thecurrent invention, all of the materials of the EKG patch can be selectedto be non-magnetic materials so that the EKG patch can be used inenvironments with magnetic fields. For example, the EKG patch 100 may beconstructed of non-magnetic materials so that the EKG patch can be usedin conjunction with MRI systems. In some embodiments, the EKG patch canhave perforations in the base layer 102 so that one or more of theelectrodes 104, 106, 108 and 110 can be separated from the remainingelectrodes. FIG. 2B shows top, side and perspective views of the EKGpatch 100 according to an embodiment of the current invention in anassembled configuration with some of the dimensions for this examplelisted in inches.

The connector elements may be any number of configurations capable ofcreating an electrical connection between the electrode and the leadwire, such as metal snaps, clamps, and similar means of connection. Theelectrodes are made of an electrically conductive material capable ofreceiving the electrical potential generated by the patient's heart andtransmitting that potential as a signal along its length to any one ormore of the devices and/or equipment that can be used to monitor andview electrocardiographic information. The electrodes can also contain asubstance in some embodiments of the current invention that willfacilitate the attachment of the patch to the patient, though that isnot necessary. In operation, the location of the patch can be selectedas described hereinbelow and the film layer is removed, exposing thesurface of the device that will make contact with the patient's skin andalso exposing the electrodes, so that they may be placed directlyagainst the patient's skin and receive the strongest possible signal.The patch is then contacted with the patient's skin and secured in placeas stated hereinabove. The electrodes can then be connected to the leadwires, which are also connected to the EKG monitoring equipment, andelectrical signals from the patient are captured and read.

The depicted embodiment is not limited in the number of electrodes thatcan be present, and is sufficiently scalable so as to contain any numberof electrodes desired, so long as the electrodes are capable of fittingwithin the device itself while maintaining the medically relevantdistance between them. In an embodiment, EKG patches can be configuredin sizes ranging from about 3 cm×3 cm) square to about 16 cm×16 cmsquare in some embodiments of the current invention. For example, EKGpatches about 3×3 inches (about 8 cm×8 cm) square have been found towork well in some applications. The EKG patches may be of any shape thatwill facilitate the monitoring of a patient's electrical potential, suchas a rectangle, a cloverleaf configuration, a triangle, an oval, acircle, etc. In another embodiment, the EKG patch includes a series ofperforations which can allow medical personnel to detach one or more ofthe individual electrodes so they can be placed at different locations.For example, in some cases it may be desirable to separate one or moreelectrodes from the remaining electrodes of the EKG patch in order toplace the patch around a wound. In other cases, it may allow the user toadjust the arrangement of the electrodes in order to optimize thedetected signal in that particular case. These are just a couple ofexamples of the potential usefulness of providing an EKG patch in whichone or more electrodes can be separated from the remaining electrodes ofthe EKG patch. This aspect of the current invention is not limited toonly these particular examples. In some embodiments, the device can bedisposable so as to be as clean and sanitary as possible with each use.In some embodiments, the EKG patch is not rigid, but rather sufficientlyflexible so as to be able to conform to the contours of the human body.In that regard, the EKG patch may be made of rubber, flexible plastic,silicone, cloth, or other silastic materials capable of conforming itsshape to the contours of the human body.

FIG. 3 show an example of the placement of an EKG patch on a patientaccording to at least some embodiments of the present invention. Such aplacement was found to work well with at least some embodiments of EKGpatches according to the current invention. In this example, the EKGpatch is placed along the midline of the sternum, approximately 2 to 4cm below the suprasternal notch, a location that roughly corresponds tointercostal space one, two or three. Notwithstanding the foregoing,other locations may be suitable for use with the EKG patch of thepresent invention and the presently described placement is not intendedto be limiting in any manner. A depiction of the connection of theelectrodes of an EKG patch to the lead wires in accordance with at leastsome embodiments of the present invention is presented are illustratedin FIG. 3A. Each electrode can be individually connected to the monitorin numerous ways including, without limitation, via lead wires which areindividually connected to each electrode on the EKG patch, or by way ofa single cable with individual lead wires that separate from the cableat the patch, not before. As shown in FIG. 3A, one of the means by whichthe lead wires may be connected to the EKG patch is by alligator-typeclips, though it is intended that the electrodes can be connected to thelead wires by any one or more available approaches, such as snapconnectors, clips, wires, and other means.

FIG. 4 shows an EKG patch 200 according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the EKG patch 200 comprises abase layer 202 and a plurality of electrodes 204, 206, 208 and 210.Again, the number of electrodes is show as an example, and not as alimitation. In this embodiment, each electrode has pre-wired electricalconnections 212, 214, 216 and 218 for each of the correspondingelectrodes 204, 206, 208 and 210. The EKG patch 200 can provide an EKGpatch that can be easily connected to a single cable 220 through a cableconnector 222. This cable 220 can then be attached to an EKG monitor.This embodiment can confer a substantial advantage in some applicationsover the prior art in that only a single point of connection need bemade to the device in order for it to operate. Prewired EKG, patchessuch as EKG patch 200, can include a layer of material covering thewires such as 212, 214, 216 and 218 in some embodiments. Furthermore,the base layers in the various embodiments of the current invention canbe single layers of multiple layers of material without departing fromthe general concepts of the current invention.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an EKG patch according to at leastsome aspects of the present invention. In this embodiment, a pluralityof EKG patches are presented and packaged as a stacked unit, similar toa note pad, with each patch stacked on top of the prior patch. In thisembodiment, as each EKG patch is used a single time, it is peeled awayfrom the bottom of the stack and discarded, leaving a new patch forsubsequent use. This process can continue until such time as all of theEKG patches have been used from the stack. The patches may be heldtogether with a layer of a temporary or release adhesive that is placedin between each of the patches that is sufficiently strong so as to holdthe layers of patches together, but which also allows the user to peelthe used EKG patch away after use. As is shown in FIG. 5, the temporaryor release adhesive does not have to cover the entire surface of eachpatch, but may rather be placed on each patch at one or more discretelocations to facilitate removal. Importantly, the electrically activearea on the electrodes for each patch would be exposed and allowed tocontact the electrodes from the other layers, thereby allowing theelectric potential generated by the patient's heart to pass through theentire stack of patches. The patch located at the top of the stack wouldthus serve as the point of connection to the medical equipment for theentirety of the stack, as the proper amount of electrical connectivitywould exist throughout the stack. The exposed bottom layer would touchthe skin of the individual.

FIGS. 6-10 show an EKG connector in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention. This connector serves as a meansby which an EKG patch can be connected to the monitoring medicalequipment. In this regard, the EKG connector can serve the same purposeas the second layer of the EKG patch of the present invention, as itwould provide the necessary electrical connectivity to the equipment,but would not make contact with the patient's skin. In some embodiments,in addition to the second layer, the EKG connector would include thethird layer located under the second layer, which would becomesandwiched between the second layer and the base layer upon connectionto the EKG patch. The EKG patch would attach to the EKG connector and ismade to allow simple connection between the disposable EKG patch and thecable. The EKG connector would be firm yet flexible to allow it to moldto the contours of the body, in a similar manner as the EKG patch.

As shown in FIG. 8, the electrodes of an EKG patch are configured to becomplimentary to the electrode housing of the EKG connector, thusallowing for ease of use and for the creation of a strong electricalconnection between the electrodes of the EKG patch and the electrodes ofthe EKG connector. In this regard, the EKG connector can be anon-disposable, reusable device and the EKG patch used with it may bethe only disposable portion of the device of the present invention,thereby helping to reduce waste. Many EKG devices currently knownrequire that each electrode be connected to an individual lead wireseparately, which can cause delays in treatment in emergency situations.The EKG connector according to some embodiments of the present inventioncan confer a substantial advantage over the prior art in that it canserve to connect an EKG patch to the monitoring equipment in a singlestep.

The EKG connector would have a base lower layer with a plurality ofelectrodes to match the number and location of the electrodes in thedesired EKG patch. A second sheet would have wires connecting themultiple electrodes to a single cable which would exit the EKG connectorand would then allow connection to the EKG monitor. In the presentlypreferred embodiment, the EKG patch and the EKG connector becomeattached via snap electrodes (FIG. 8), though they may also be attachedtogether via the use of an adhesive, magnets, in a slotted area on theundersurface of the EKG connector where it can be inserted, or othermeans of connection known to those of skill in the art. Additionally,the cable extending from the EKG connector can be made detachablepartway along its length with a male and female connection, allowing forease of use, or it may be wireless. If it is wireless, a transmitter canbe located on the EKG connector capable of receiving and transmitting asignal of the patient's electrical potential to a receiver located inthe medical monitoring equipment.

There is disclosed a disposable ECG monitoring device for attachment tothe skin of an individual, which device includes a plurality ofelectrodes for monitoring bio-skin potential disposed at suitablelocations on a base or substrate. This device has a plurality ofelectrodes at a specified distance between the electrodes. It would beused at a specific location on the individual, specifically midline, 2cm below the suprasternal notch. The electrodes would be connected tothe monitor via individual snaps or via single connector and cable. Anumber of electrodes are attached to the second sheet by an adhesivecoating, with the connector elements of the respective electrodes inplace in the openings and secured to lead wires for attachment tomonitoring apparatus. The individual electrodes include an adhesive basesurface that can be exposed upon removal of a cover structure whichnormally overlies a pre-gelled pad and said base surface. The adhesivelycoated base surfaces of the electrodes are used to affix the device tothe patient.

Currently when 3-5 lead telemetry EKG's are done, the electrodes areplaced individually on the person's torso in a preconfigured designdating back to the early 1900's. The limitation of this is that itrequires individual cables to connect to the separate electrode sites.Cables get tangled and it takes time to connect each electrode. Inaddition if one falls off, all of the tracings are affected. With ourpatch, up to 6 of the electrodes can be imbedded and there can be eitherindividual snaps or a single connection will exit the patch. A reusablecable then would connect to the patch. A difference between thisembodiment of the current invention and prior art reference U.S. Pat.No. 4,082,086 is that our patch works best when applied just under thesuprasternal notch, midline on the person. The distances between eachsnap/electrode is a determined distance between 1.5 cm up to 15 cmapart. U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,086 does not specify the distances betweenthe electrodes. FIG. 11 shows traces from a conventional EKG system thatuses limb leads. FIG. 12 shows traces from an EKG system according to anembodiment of the current invention in which a single EKG patch has 4electrodes that are spaced 1.5 cm apart. The overall dimension of theEKG patch in this example is 5.5 cm×5.5 cm. One can see from the examplein FIG. 12, as compared to FIG. 11, that the EKG system according to thecurrent invention provides suitable telemetry data even though only asmall, compact, single EKG patch is used rather than multiple separatelyand widely spaced leads as in FIG. 11.

There is disclosed a disposable EKG monitoring device (from hereforthwill be referred to as EKG patch) for attachment to the skin of anindividual, which device includes a plurality of electrodes formonitoring bio-skin potential disposed at suitable locations of theindividual. (See, for example, FIGS. 1 and 2). This device has aplurality of electrodes at a specified distance between the electrodes.It would be used at a specific location on the individual, specificallymidline along the sternum, approximately 2 cm below the suprasternalnotch at around intercostal space one or two. (FIG. 3) Other locationsmay yet be identified and used if the potentials are deemed to be ofsuitable quality.

The individual patches include an adhesive base surface and electrodethat can be exposed upon removal of a cover structure which normallyoverlies a pre-gelled patch and said base surface. This surface would beattached to the skin of the individual. This patch is made of flexiblematerial allowing said patch to mold to the contours of the individualbody. The adhesively coated base surfaces of the patch allow it to affixthe device to the patient. There would be a nonadhesive layer which isremoved prior to attaching to the patient for storage purposes. Theelectrodes will have an electrically conductive material which willadhere to the skin as well. Another embodiment of the EKG patch mayinclude perforations allowing the individual electrodes to be detachedand placed at a different location. Further, the EKG patches can be madefrom nonmagnetic materials in some embodiments of the current inventionso that they can be used in the presence of strong magnetic fields, suchas in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems.

A plurality of electrodes are attached to the second sheet by anadhesive coating, with the connector elements of the respectiveelectrodes in place in the openings, such as snaps, and connected tolead wires for attachment to the EKG monitor. (FIG. 1, 2)

The connection of the electrodes to the monitor can be done severalways. Each electrode can be individually connected to the monitor viawires which are individually connected to the EKG patch (FIG. 3) as itis done currently with snap female electrodes or alligator clips.Another embodiment could include an additional layer sandwiched betweenthe top and bottom layer with the electrodes on the EKG patchpre-connected to wires which exit the EKG patch as a single cable. Thiscable can then be attached to the EKG monitor (FIG. 4).

Another embodiment may allow the EKG patches to be packaged as a stackedunit with multiple EKG patches similar to a note pad. They would be heldtogether with an adhesive layer on a portion of the EKG patch whichwould allow each unit to separate and be disposed of after each use. Theelectrically active area where the electrodes are would be exposed andallowed to contact the electrodes from the other layers making the stacka long electrical connection. The top layer would be connected to thelead wires connecting to the EKG monitor. The exposed bottom layer wouldtouch the skin of the individual. (FIG. 5)

A second method to connect the EKG patch to the EKG monitor is via anondisposable EKG monitoring device (from hereforth will be referred toas EKG connector). The EKG patch would attach to the EKG connector(FIGS. 6-10). This EKG connector is made to allow simple connectionbetween the disposable EKG patch and the cable. The EKG connector wouldbe firm yet flexible to allow it to mold to the contours of the body(FIG. 6,7).

The electrodes of the EKG patch would fit into this EKG connector thusallowing for ease of use. Currently, each snap of the EKG sticker mustbe individually connected. The EKG connector would eliminate this step.

The EKG connector would have a base lower layer with a plurality ofelectrodes to match the number and location of the ones on the said EKGpatch. A second sheet would have wires connecting the multipleelectrodes to a single cable which would exit the EKG connector andwould then allow connection to the EKG monitor. The EKG patch wouldattach to the EKG connector via snap electrodes (FIG. 8), via adhesivecoating, magnetically, in a slotted area on the undersurface of the EKGconnector where it can be inserted, or by yet undescribed method. Inaddition, the cable which will attach to the EKG monitor may bedetachable partway along its length with a male and female connectionallowing for ease of use, or wireless. If it is wireless, there would bea transmitter on the EKG connector and the EKG monitor would have areceiver.

The present invention, in various embodiments, includes components,methods, processes, systems and/or apparatuses substantially as depictedand described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations,and subsets thereof. The present invention, in various embodiments,includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items notdepicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof,including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previousdevices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving easeand\or reducing cost of implementation.

The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intendedto limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In theforegoing Detailed Description for example, various features of theinvention are grouped together in one or more embodiments to facilitatea description of some concepts of the current invention. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspectslie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosedembodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into thisDetailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separatepreferred embodiment of the invention.

Moreover though the description of the invention has includeddescriptions of one or more embodiments and certain variations andmodifications, other variations and modifications are within the scopeof the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge ofthose in the art, based upon teachings of the present disclosure. It isintended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to theextent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalentstructures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or notsuch alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

We claim:
 1. An EKG patch, comprising: a plurality of individual EKGpatches, each comprising a base layer and a plurality of electrodescapable of receiving an electrical signal generated by the myocardium ofa human heart, wherein each of the plurality of the individual EKGpatches are stacked on top of each other such that each electrode in anindividual patch aligns and contacts with at least one correspondingelectrode in an adjacent EKG patch, thereby allowing a free flow ofelectricity through the plurality of stacked EKG patches, and such thatthe bottom-most EKG patch may be contacted with the skin of a patient,and wherein a temporary or release adhesive is placed between each ofthe plurality of EKG patches such that the bottom-most EKG patch may bepeeled away from the stack after each use.
 2. The EKG patch according toclaim 1, wherein the plurality of individual EKG patches define astacked unit.
 3. The EKG patch according to claim 1, wherein, after eachuse, the bottom-most individual EKG patch is configured to be peeledaway and discarded.
 4. The EKG patch according to claim 1, wherein thetemporary or release adhesive covers at least a portion of eachindividual EKG patch.
 5. The EKG patch according to claim 1, wherein theelectrodes of each individual EKG patch are exposed and contact theelectrodes from each adjacent individual EKG patch, whereby electricpotential generated by the patient's myocardium passes through thestacked plurality of EKG patches.
 6. The EKG patch according to claim 1,wherein a top-most individual EKG patch is configured to be connected toan EKG monitoring system.
 7. The EKG patch according to claim 1, whereinthe plurality of electrodes on each individual EKG patch are spaced atleast about 1.5 cm apart and less than about 15 cm apart.
 8. The EKGpatch according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of electrodes arespaced about 5.5 cm apart.
 9. The EKG patch according to claim 1,wherein the plurality of electrodes comprise one of three, four, five orsix electrodes.
 10. The EKG patch according to claim 1, whereindimensions of the EKG patch are within a range of about 3 cm×3 cm squareto 16 cm×16 cm square.
 11. The EKG patch according to claim 1, whereinthe base layer comprises an adhesive material on a surface thereof forattaching the EKG patch to the patient.
 12. The EKG patch according toclaim 1, wherein said base layer has a shape suitable to facilitate atleast one of positioning, attaching and removing said EKG patch from thepatient.
 13. The EKG patch according to claim 1, wherein the EKG patchis constructed from nonmagnetic materials such that the EKG patch issuitable for use in conjunction with magnetic fields.